mj_holiday

Our one cruise so far on Azamara didn't seen to have much of a boutique for shopping., and that may have been the time of the year. On another cruise line I was spending down OBC and bought some terribly expensive nail polish, got home and it was some of the best nail polish I have ever used. I have been unable to find it anyplace, not even on line) so will have to save some OBC incase I can find it on our next cruise.

Before our cruise leaving out of Cape Town we will be going to Victoria Falls. I feel I will not have a problem getting South African Rand, but feel I need to research to get currency for Zimbabwe and Zambezi. Will I be able to get both of these currencies at an ATM in Victoria Falls Airport?

If my memory serves me (pre-covid) Navigator Prime 7 was used for overflow from LaVeranda for breakfast and lunch There are also usually appetizers served in the Observation/Galileo's before dinner. IMO what restaurants are open for lunch will depend on how many passengers.

There was another thread that mentioned the fact that Club Continent did not have access to the area in the front of the ship. This was in the list of benefits at the time we booked, but don't see it now. This concerns me some. The item about the included bottles being changed from 4 small bottles to one large bottle can be the result of supply. Here in the US some liquors are only coming in one size due to supply issues, so this may go back to previous.

We will leave our hotel at checkout time (11:00) and head to the ship. We usually get on soon after we get to the waiting area (pre-covid). When we get onboard we have had no trouble finding a table in the pool grill where we have lunch and a couple of drinks n]and our cabins then become ready. I would be too anxious to sightsee before getting to the ship.

DH always stocks up on cologne

Fingers crossed, looks like our trip will happen, so I have some questions We are scheduled for a pre-cruise trip to Victoria Falls before we board Voyager . Are there any established norms about what to wear for dinner in the evenings? Also, any tips on packing since we will probably send one suitcase to ship and keep smaller one with us, and the weight limits for carry-ons? Besides the falls - any other areas not to be missed while we have some free time? Looks like we will be able to get SA Rand at an ATM in Johannesburg airport, anyone with experience with this? Will we be able to use Rand in Zimbabwe for tips/souvenirs? In Cape Town - any not to be missed at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront area? Any other recommendations

I have not found Grolsch, places around me are not prone to have more than one brand of NA. All the places started with O'Douls and now they are gradually changing to something else. I found a Guinness NA up in Wisconsin, which was good.

You did miss out on not having the Caramel, popcorn, chocolate etc sundae. When we were in P7 I understood it to be a large dessert and asked that it be split between the two of us. Well we each got a sundae that was about 3/4 of a complete sundae and enjoy every bit of it.

It seems the Heineken sales force was very, very active in the US. Once it showed up, it seemed it was in every place I went. Even in places that said to me multiple times even though they had O'Douls on the menu, they didn't have any NA. St. Pauli Girl NA is one of the best I can find in US grocery stores but doesn't show up in many restaurants or bars.

As I have said before, I find the "included" and extra priced differences etc difficult to understand. What you get at a bar (don't know about the new Onward bar) is easy to understand- there are a couple of sheets in the bar menu that lists what is included and the prices of the other ones. There will be wine/beer/soda in your cabin, but what is included and what is extra depends on your cabin level (I think?) Having wine delivered with a meal to your cabin depends on the liquor package you have (not included with the basic package) DH was not satisfied with the basic/included selection and I didn't understand that one person in the cabin could upgrade drink package without the other in the cabin upgrading (probably my fault in reviewing the paper in the cabin) So each night after dinner DH wanted a nice after dinner drink (choice not part of included) so he would order one to bring back to the cabin that he would sign for. After a couple nights I noticed the bill had a line for tip and DH was generous. From reading the literature, the tip is included in the price of the drinks purchased. We enjoyed our first Azamara cruise and have one booked for next spring. But I do find the various rules for what's included and what is extra and where you can get something delivered etc more than I want to worry about. (paying for a drink will not cause us to miss a meal when we get home) So for our next cruise we will be in a Club Continent (CC) and purchase the first level (or second level) drink package. (of course recently I have read posts about CC no longer having some of the access that was part of the description of the cabin extras) The end of my whining

the salted, caramel, popcorn sundae is one of the best desserts I can recommend.

Have not seen Gordon NA Gin, but will look for it. In addition to Monkey NA Gin making a good G&T, it makes a martini that for me satisfies me. When ever DH had a martini I would take a tiny taste. But with a Monkey NA martini (dry with a twist) I really don't care to take a sip from DH.

I will have to try Seedlip. Our cruise is in December and will definitely report the NA situation.

Our last Regent cruise (pre-COVID) was 2019 and the NA beers they had were O'Douls (cans for refrigerator) Heineken 0.0 and Buckler (not much of this). I have given up on the NA wine. When I had gotten it served in CR, someone was always refilling it (good service) with real wine. Too much trouble all around for something that I didn't care for that much. We have been to various parts of Europe several times since I can no longer have alcohol, and I have been able to have an NA beer where ever we have gone, and many times a local NA. So for onboard Regent I will be asking for Monday NA Gin to be available.

It has been mentioned that Fever-tree tonic is now onboard. Hope that is still true. There are a couple of NA beers on board which is nice There also is NA wine on board, which I really don't care for I am wondering how to get an NA gin called "Monday" served in Regent bars? Do we just get passengers to start requesting it? I will request it for our cabin, but would rather enjoy it in a more social setting. Monday and Fever-tree tonic makes a very good G&T, especially for those of us who cannot have alcohol.

The specialty restaurants are a nice change when on a longer cruise. But we really enjoy the Compass Rose menu as many have stated here. I will make our one reservation per restaurant when it opens up on line, but not really concerned if we get another reservation during the trip. We really enjoy not being on much of a schedule (except excursions and trivia) and specialty restaurants add one more schedule item to plan for (Regents does send a nice reminder the day before the scheduled reservation).

Thanks for telling us about your trip. Will be anxious to read about your days onboard. Was your test from Walgreens USA the only test for COVID you needed to get on the ship?

I am on a trip around Japan Embarking April 1, 2024 and would be interested in info. So some specific questions would be: Did you stay in a hotel pre-cruise and what hotel, interesting restaurants What was your favorite excursion of the excursions you took in Japan. Were there any destination related activities on board Thank you in advance

Also, on day one - it is a good idea to double check your booked excursions. You should find your tickets in your cabin when you arrive. You can then double check that you are reserved for the excursions you booked. There should also be an errata sheet on any changes to the excursions since they were published on the web. There may be changes, so need to review the list. I have found the usual changes are to the activity level of the excursion. But it is always good to check this sheet.

Embarkation - When you get onboard, while waiting for the cabins to be ready, we always go to the pool grill for a nice lunch. We are not buffet people, so enjoy the table service at the Pool Grill. We have a couple of beers, text our TA to let her know we have arrived, and enjoy our first couple of hours on board. Usually by the time we have finished the cabins are open to us and we head to our cabin, and usually our luggage has already arrived. Your room stewards should stop by shortly after you get in your cabin. You can then make sure your bar set up contains what you want. We usually have beer, club soda in our refrigerator and a bottle of red wine and some type of after dinner brandy.. After unpacking, it is time to explore the ship.

I think the cost is impacted by port. I asked for cost of a private car while in Vancouver for a cruise now cancelled. 4 hours was $1,100.00 and 8 hour was $1400.00. We decided we would do the Hop On Hop Off bus. But then cruise got cancelled. Your TA should be able to get you a cost.

You will find lots of tips throughout this forum. If you ask some specific questions, that will help get some additional info. The topic "What I've learned on this thread" would be a good start. What is embarkation port?, What category of suite?

One of the things we did before our first visit to Monte Carlo was get the movie "Grand Prix" from the library (that is probably the only place to find that very old movie) and watched it. It can get kind of boring but still interesting and get an understanding of the Grand Prix.

We have been to Monte Carlo and were fascinated with the Grad Prix track (streets) etc. I found the cruise that overnights in Monte Carlo. So from what I gather, you can either get an Azamara excursion with a seat ticket or purchase your own ticket. Sounds simple enough, and what fun.